Kent Bush: Dallas officer lacked wisdom to listen

Saturday

Mar 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMMar 28, 2009 at 9:45 AM

When a 25-year-old Dallas Police officer saw a big black SUV with tinted windows run a red light, he shot out of his hiding place and turned on his lights and siren. The SUV wasn't full of teenage troublemakers. Instead, it contained NFL running back Ryan Moats and his family. They were hurrying back to a Plano hospital where Moats' mother-in-law was dying.

Kent Bush

What you see isn't always what you get.

When a 25-year-old Dallas Police officer saw a big black SUV with tinted windows run a red light, he shot out of his hiding place and turned on his lights and siren.

You know what he was thinking. You're probably thinking it, too.

Gang members -- or at least young scoundrels -- are up to no good, and he probably suspected that alcohol or illegal drugs were playing a part in the late-night hijinks.

Officer Robert Powell would have been right a majority of the time. Even at 25, he has probably experienced this scenario dozens of times.

But Powell got himself and his department in hot water recently. His initial reaction may have been justifiable, but his failure to listen and properly assess the situation was unforgivable.

The SUV wasn't full of teenage troublemakers. Instead, it contained NFL running back Ryan Moats and his family. They were hurrying back to a Plano hospital where Moats' mother-in-law was dying.

When Moats finally stopped the vehicle in front of the emergency room doors at the hospital, the officer proceeded to order the family back into the vehicle.

Moats' wife and another family member ignored the officer's order and ran inside to see her dying mother while Moats remained behind trying to use logic with the officer.

His attempts failed.

The officer's dash-cam video revealed his impenetrable methodology. The officer informed Moats that he had run a red light. Moats agreed but told the officer he had checked traffic and turned on his hazard lights to warn other drivers.

"That doesn't matter," Powell said with a slight chuckle.

Moats pleaded with him that his mother-in-law was dying inside the hospital.

"She is dying right now!" Moats could be heard screaming at the officer in frustration.

"That doesn't constitute running a red light," the officer shot back. "Understand what I can do. I can tow your truck. I can charge you with fleeing. I can make your night very difficult."

Nurses, a Plano police officer and others on the scene tried to convince the officer to let Moats go inside.

After giving him a ticket 20 minutes later, the officer told Moats that "attitude is everything" and that if he had stopped and let him know what was going on he "probably would have let him go."

Moats was finally allowed to sign the ticket and hurried inside. His mother in law was already dead.

For obvious reasons, the Dallas Police are investigating the incident. I can't believe it will go very well for Powell - who has been moved to a job in dispatch for the time being.

No one can blame him for his initial response. But he didn't have the wisdom to listen and adjust to the reality of the situation being different from his original assumption.

Officers need to have more training on when to relax regulations.

In small towns, that problem is not as prevalent since officers don't face threats on their life or safety as often. They are not "on edge" as often as their metropolitan counterparts.

But even urban officers need to assess situations before they react.

Undoubtedly, the fact that the family in the SUV was black played a part in helping the officer jump to an unfortunate conclusion.

A simple apology won't make smooth over the tragic outcome in this situation.